Introduction

This Prescribed Work is the second of a set of 6 concertos scored for a variety of instrumental combinations that Johann Sebastian Bach sent to Christian- Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg– Schwedt in 1721. Concerto no. 2 is believed to have been composed in or around 1719. The Margrave had asked Bach to send him some of his compositions, and it is most likely all 6 concertos were written during the period Bach was employed as Kapellmeister to the prince of Anhalt- Cöthen. Indeed, most of Bach's chamber and orchestral music dates from his time in this post.

These concertos are mostly of a type called concerto grosso (literally big concert), a popular genre among middle to late Baroque composers, including Corelli, Vivaldi, Handel and of course Bach. A concerto grosso features two contrasting instrumental groups; the concertino, a smaller group of soloists, and the ripieno, the tutti or full orchestra (usually strings). Both of these groups were accompanied by the continuo, which is heard in almost all Baroque music, most commonly a harpsichord and cello, which provided the harmonic filling and bass line respectively. Whilst both groups would have shared some of the same musical material, other themes were played exclusively by the concertino. Furthermore, the part writing for the concertino group was usually more virtuosic and elaborate.

Bach was known as an experimenter, which can be seen in this work, with its unusual concertino group of tromba, (treble) recorder, oboe and violin, his often novel approach to musical structures, and his daring use of harmony and dissonance.

Instrumentation

The ‘tromba’ referred to by Bach in his score was a natural trumpet in high F, with no valves, which meant it played only the notes of the harmonic series.

The sound of the tromba in the 18th century was softer in both timbre and dynamic compared to a modern trumpet, which explains why Bach was able to use it in a concertino group alongside a treble recorder, oboe and violin without any problems with balance. The solo tromba part Bach wrote was at one time regarded as unplayable because of technical difficulties and tuning issues on certain harmonics.